Embark on a journey with the indomitable Jenn Grant as she weaves tales from her life on the road, balancing the dual delights of touring and motherhood. Our latest episode cradles the essence of an artist who wins hearts not only with her melodies but through her unwavering devotion to social causes. You'll get to experience the depth of her latest heartfelt single "Hello Everyone Ceasefire Now," a song that harmonizes the call for peace in Palestine, and the poignancy of "Judy," a tribute that's as personal as it is profound. Feel the pulse of Jenn's life, where the love for her craft and her kin meld into the harmonious rhythm of her days, whether she's gearing up for the East Coast Music Awards or sharing a laugh over her pets' latest shenanigans.
As we trace Jenn's footprints from Western Canada to the cobbled streets of Ireland and the vibrant venues of London, let's also pause to savor the anticipation building up for a gathering with old friends. It's a testament to life's simpler pleasures—the buzz of a planned reunion, the warmth of a shared laugh, and the treasured memories etched into our hearts. Jenn's narrative, underscored by her bond with fellow musician Kim Harris and the excitement for the ECMAs, is an ode to the joy of these connections. This conversation is an invitation to feel the embrace of music and friendship, to find solidarity in a song, and to laugh at the playful antics of the four-legged companions that remind us of the lighter side of life.
Embark on a journey with the indomitable Jenn Grant as she weaves tales from her life on the road, balancing the dual delights of touring and motherhood. Our latest episode cradles the essence of an artist who wins hearts not only with her melodies but through her unwavering devotion to social causes. You'll get to experience the depth of her latest heartfelt single "Hello Everyone Ceasefire Now," a song that harmonizes the call for peace in Palestine, and the poignancy of "Judy," a tribute that's as personal as it is profound. Feel the pulse of Jenn's life, where the love for her craft and her kin meld into the harmonious rhythm of her days, whether she's gearing up for the East Coast Music Awards or sharing a laugh over her pets' latest shenanigans.
As we trace Jenn's footprints from Western Canada to the cobbled streets of Ireland and the vibrant venues of London, let's also pause to savor the anticipation building up for a gathering with old friends. It's a testament to life's simpler pleasures—the buzz of a planned reunion, the warmth of a shared laugh, and the treasured memories etched into our hearts. Jenn's narrative, underscored by her bond with fellow musician Kim Harris and the excitement for the ECMAs, is an ode to the joy of these connections. This conversation is an invitation to feel the embrace of music and friendship, to find solidarity in a song, and to laugh at the playful antics of the four-legged companions that remind us of the lighter side of life.
Welcome to another exciting episode of KevJet the podcast. This week we have a KevJet catch-up with Canadian singer-songwriter Jen Grant ahead of her UK and Ireland tour dates.
Speaker 2:
I'm excited. First I'm heading out west in Canada and then I come home for two days and then I go to Ireland for two nights and then London for one night. So it doesn't make a lot of sense, like if you were trying to plan something so that your nervous system was settled. This is not the route that you would take. I feel guilty because I'll be with my friend and bandmate, kim Harris, who is amazing, and she has never been to Europe or the UK, so she's just yeah, she's just going to be there for a second, we talk about everything award show from Junos to ECMAs and how Jen manages life as an artist and life as a mom.
Speaker 2:
I love the Junos, I love a party, I love all that stuff. I love recognition for all my hard work. But I don't need it. I don't need it for like to know my own worth of my work. There was an article actually I posted, but it was like spring break for Canadians and it was about like it was like Nelly Furtado and they're like and Jen Brandt just was everywhere. I have six ECMA nominations for my record and I'm going to be heading to the hotel with my husband, my kids, our miniature labradoodle named Bird and our new hamster.
Speaker 1:
Jen talks about her exclusive single Hello Everyone. Cease Fire Now.
Speaker 2:
I organized a concert on the roof of my one of my favorite restaurants, edna, and so I played, like you know, maybe half of my record on top on the roof of one of my favorite restaurants, edna, and so I played maybe half of my record on top of the roof. And then I played my new song, which is to raise awareness for Palestine and to raise funds for Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and collaborated with the organizers of the protests and march in Halifax who marched and protested up to the restaurant and then so the police like blocked off the streets and everything and we had all the people from the march there and I had all that stuff filmed. So we're putting together some footage just to continue to raise awareness for Palestine. It's called Hello Everyone Ceasefire. Now it's available on my band camp. All the funds go directly to Palestine Red Crescent Society and I'm just going to continue standing up for that as long as I'm alive.
Speaker 1:
Of course we have to talk about Judy. Judy is in my head every day.
Speaker 2:
The story of Judy is the story of Kim being adopted in Corner Brook, newfoundland, in the early 80s by her mom, judy, and Sam, and we wrote that song for Judy on her birthday.
Speaker 1:
You can catch Jen live in concert in Western Canada before she jets over the pond to the UK and Ireland. Tour dates are posted on her website.
Speaker 2:
Jen Grant Music guys. It's a hot, hot page.
Speaker 1:
Enjoy my quick catch-up with the lovely Jen Grant. Welcome to KevJet the Podcast. Jen Grant, hello, you're joining us from Nova Scotia.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1:
And I hear it's cold today.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it looks a little cold out there. We're on the lake and it's very beautiful and also it looks gray and the lake looks cold and the trees are moving around and, yeah, you know, kind of cold. There was a bunch of hail yesterday and I was like I'm not interested.
Speaker 1:
My family's on the south shore and they sent photos of snow yeah, no, no thanks it's not happening here. We have um well, it's rain today, but it's very warm weather. I've been cutting the grass year round, yeah nice, sounds so nice and speaking of over here, you are getting your little butt over here soon.
Speaker 2:
That's right, here we go.
Speaker 1:
How excited are you.
Speaker 2:
I'm excited. I was kind of lightly like, I mean, I'm, I'm first I'm heading out West in Canada and then I come home for two days and then I go to Ireland and for two nights and then London for one night. So the the it doesn't make a lot of sense, Like if you were going to, if you were trying to plan something so that your nervous system was settled. This is not the route that you would take. Um, but that's cool, I'm okay with it for now.
Speaker 1:
Rock and roll right.
Speaker 2:
Extreme that's how I am described. Always extreme, heavy heart rock.
Speaker 1:
You're doing two nights in Dublin and then you're coming over to do one night over here in London. So it's the 18th and 19th in Dublin and you're playing London on the 20th.
Speaker 2:
That's right.
Speaker 1:
Very excited to see you.
Speaker 2:
Excited to be there and to see you.
Speaker 1:
Maybe we should go back and say we actually met what? A year ago, kind of this time Was it a year? Yeah, I was home for my birthday, which just happened last month. Oh, so it's just almost a year anniversary, I guess.
Speaker 2:
Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:
We went out for lunch in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Speaker 2:
We did.
Speaker 1:
There's a Halifax here, so I have to clarify that. Oh yeah, that's right, which was lovely and we were chat, chat, chat, and it's been very nice and we've kept in touch since.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's so sweet.
Speaker 1:
It is, and I'm looking forward to taking care of you when you come over to London.
Speaker 2:
I'm looking forward to that too.
Speaker 1:
Too bad you weren't here longer.
Speaker 2:
I know I feel guilty because I'll be with my friend and bandmate, kim Harris, who is amazing and she has never been to Europe or the UK, so she's just yeah, she's just going to be there for a second.
Speaker 1:
Wow, well, it's kind of exciting because then she'll be like it's kind of exciting because then she'll be like hmm, it was. It's kind of like that exciting bit where you're like you catch every little thing that you can on the way it's time to go to bed bye, yeah, and then it's like get up time to go to the airport. Yeah, is this a show that you've spent time putting together, or is it something you're going to wing?
Speaker 2:
guess what? I'm going to put it together tomorrow? Jen grant music guys, it's a hot, hot page. So I will be in Red Deer, alberta, on April 10th and then Edmonton at the aviary on April 11th and then in Calgary, which is sold out at, on the 12th at festival hall, before I go over to Dublin and London.
Speaker 1:
Wow, so you're going to be ready for a rest when you get back. Do you rest um?
Speaker 2:
yes, well, I am two seconds between the days, so yeah, but this is this week. This has been a really nice restful, because last week was I was sick, last week, um, with some weird virus. I got probably at the junos, uh, which was a really, really busy, crazy social time. Before like it was a four day. Um, there was an article actually. I posted it but it was like spring break for canadians and it was about like it was like nella frittata did it and they're like and jen grant just was everywhere how was it?
Speaker 2:
martinis. I had so many, mr espresso martinis that I was getting like stomach spasms and I had to go to a pharmacist.
Speaker 1:
Were you awake for like the whole week.
Speaker 2:
Well, I was, I, for the first two nights. Like the first night, my dear friend Jim Cuddy, we did this, he did this show, jim Cuddy, and friends and myself and our good friend Rose Cousins and my darling Jill Barber and a bunch of other people, we are all singing together and I sing it on tons of songs and I I came my manager came from Ireland, so I didn't really want to like be out too long and she was with my little kids and so I got home like at a normal time that night. And then Friday I had an art opening. I did this exhibit of portraits of all my songwriting collaborators on my album Champagne, problems and Abstracts, and so that was a night where we had a bunch of people there for the art and I did like a performance with Kim.
Speaker 2:
And then Friday was the awards night and that was like a big social situation and there was this, there's this Jim Cuddy sweet jam room thing, and and so, anyways, I went to bed at four. And then the next, then there was a gala night and there was just some like after parties that we played, and then that suite thing again, and I had my kids with me, who are three and a half and five. They were great, but they were in the hotel with the babysitter and we were swimming. But I was, like you know, I was kind of, I would say I was sort of half on duty with my parenting, but my husband was away on tour with Kevin Drew, so when I got home I was just like beyond exhausted.
Speaker 1:
And then you just going to start it all over again, but involve airplanes yeah. It was nice, wow. So the Junos were exciting in Halifax.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it was really it was, it was, it was great. I my record was not nominated and I was thought it might be nominated because I think it's such a great record and it's such a cross section of Canadian talent and I personally feel like it's a bit of a historical document of the Canadian culture and the music scene of of this year. But I you know to for it to not be nominated is doesn't take away its value or mine and I was probably like the top one of my top three albums at the moment thank you so much.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I mean I think it's a. It's a. It was a huge kind of undertaking I felt, but and I think it's a great record and it's I've been steadily kind of producing videos and content the whole while and this whole art project and everything around it too. But I was really really, really happy to see all of the the spotlight on all the indigenous artists at the Junos and I just feel really comfortable and happy to take a back seat. If any further and more like indigenous artists in Canada can can have a light on them, then I'm all for it. I don't I think I've reached a place in my life and that and post-parenthood where I am like, uh, whatever, I love the Junos, I love a party, I love all that stuff. Um, I love recognition for all my hard work, but I don't need it. I don't need it for like to know my own worth of my, of my work. I guess or myself, did you feel that?
Speaker 1:
maybe the East Coast took a backseat to the Junos.
Speaker 2:
Well, I think that in general, canadian music awards are generally quite like Ontario, toronto focused, and that's what everyone says and I mean it sounds like they're right to me. Usually that's kind of the emphasis is like Toronto is the hub of the Canadian music scene, but I don't really feel like it is. I think that there's amazing music all over Canada and all over the country and I have friends all over the country and all over the world, and so, you know, jamila was a great representation for us. She's a she's a reggae artist and Morgan Tony's an indigenous artist from here. And there was like someone else, but yeah, it was pretty.
Speaker 2:
Richo Coyne was nominated for like like you know, I forget, electronic or something, but like, yeah, it just it wasn't like highly featured, but I think that I did a pretty good job of just being everywhere. And uh, we also I forgot to mention that we had, like I had I organized a concert on the roof of my one of my favorite restaurants, edna, and so I I played so like you know, maybe half of my record on top of the roof and then I played I my new song, which is to raise awareness for Palestine and to raise funds for Palestinian Red Crescent Society and uh, and collaborated with um, the organizers of the protests and march in Halifax, who marched there. They marched and protested up to the restaurant and then so the police like blocked off the streets and everything and we had the all the people from the march there and I had all that stuff filmed so we're putting together some footage just to continue to raise awareness for Palestine.
Speaker 1:
That's amazing, and that is sort of an exclusive Jen Grant available everywhere, isn't it?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's called Hello Everyone Ceasefire. Now it's available on my band camp and so far we've raised around $3,300 for the song. All the funds go directly to Palestine Red Crescent Society and I'm just going to continue standing up for that as long as I'm alive.
Speaker 1:
Amazing, amazing. I have friends over here in the UK who have messaged me several times since they've heard that you're coming over and they play that track over and over.
Speaker 2:
Great. Yeah, there's 35 artists on it from across Canada and a few from Australia and Ireland who are on the song, because it was written to be like an anthem and I really wanted to have as many voices on it as I could to, you know, because I really think that there is a power to collective singing to send a message, you know, and I think that artists have a responsibility and that people in general have a responsibility to stand up for the humanization and peace of all people, and I would love to sing it at the March in London.
Speaker 1:
Would be great. So you have to stay a little bit longer.
Speaker 2:
I'll extend my flight, whatever I have to do. When are the marches? Are they on Saturdays?
Speaker 1:
They're usually on Saturdays or Sundays. It depends on what happens in the city. We have train strikes at the moment which throw like.
Speaker 2:
And what day is my show on?
Speaker 1:
Saturday.
Speaker 2:
Great, I land at 12.30 PM at the airport.
Speaker 1:
So Great, I land at 12.30 pm at the airport so I could go straight there. Let me look into it Saturday. Look it up.
Speaker 2:
Let's do it. I would really like. It's been a thing that I've daydreamed about a little bit.
Speaker 1:
What about the ECMAs? The ECMAs are coming up. Are you involved with that at all this year?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I have six ECMA nominations for my record and I'm going to be heading to the hotel with my husband, my kids, our miniature labradoodle named bird, and our new hamster. It's very rock and roll yeah and we're gonna play an award show and we're gonna play a show and I'm going to. I have a stylist now that I've been working with and so we'll just see. We're just making the most of all the things.
Speaker 1:
And it's over on the island this year, isn't it?
Speaker 2:
It is. It's in the place of my birth.
Speaker 1:
Very nice, which is Prince Edward Island in the Maritimes. Yes, correct, and I believe our wonderful friend Rose is co-hosting with Daphne.
Speaker 2:
Doyle.
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, oh, and Dabnett, oh, my God. I had a lot of fun with Dabnett at the Junos as well.
Speaker 1:
Hooray, so it's going to be another big party, I know I told them to write me into the script, but I haven't received anything. It's going to be another big party.
Speaker 2:
No, I know I'm already exhausted.
Speaker 1:
Your album. We briefly talked about champagne problems. One of my favorites. One of my favorites, judy is in my head every day.
Speaker 2:
Give me a reason.
Speaker 1:
She lives in my head.
Speaker 2:
And my heart. You know that's Kim's mom.
Speaker 1:
Is it? I didn't know, that.
Speaker 2:
So Kim's. The story of Judy is the story of Kim being adopted in corner of Brook, newfoundland, in the early eighties by her mom, judy and Sam, and we wrote that song for Judy on her birthday. She passed away about maybe like 13 or 14 or 15 years ago but and I never met her but I certainly feel quite a connection to her so do I she's.
Speaker 1:
She lives in my head um every day and she's plays through my sound system every evening amazing.
Speaker 2:
Singing that song with kim is an incredible, incredible human and um singer, my god and songwriter, and so I don't know if you've ever come across kim before, but she, playing her is you say you have? Yes, playing with her is just she, just she like exists. She also sings in tim baker's band. She has her own stuff, but she's she really feels really at home in in another person's band and she's just such a asset as a band member Like she, just she just exudes like feeling and love is kind of how I feel about it and she's fucking hilarious and she's so fucking talented so it's wonderful to have her. We've we've never played, I don't think, just as a duo before, so that should be nice.
Speaker 1:
Wow, you can probably hear my dog barking, just because I can't think just as a duo before.
Speaker 2:
So that should be nice.
Speaker 1:
Wow, you can probably hear my dog barking, just because they're in the next room and every afternoon they watch what is it called Country file or move away to the country or something, and every time they show a horse or a dog or donkey, he goes mental. He's just a Breeshawn but he thinks he's.
Speaker 2:
Oh, my God, yeah.
Speaker 1:
So we can't watch things with animals? Yeah, oh my god and I have a little tiny um toy yorkie she's penelope and she doesn't know what's happening. So as soon as he starts barking, she thinks she's gonna protect the house and she's running around like crazy. I can imagine. So that's my little life. Yeah, and they protect the studio.
Speaker 2:
We have a studio and they think they are the studio dogs. Oh well, you know, they sound like good dogs. They are, they are.
Speaker 1:
They're a handful Great Well, it was lovely to catch up with you, Jen Grant. Yeah, you too, and I can't wait to see you and I'm going to bring all my friends and we're going to have a great night.